New Theatre

Interior shot of stage boxes and circle here:–

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stagedoor/5067272876/

During the intervals, when stage shows were being presented, the New Theatre always lowered a fire safety curtain in front of the stage area.This curtain was white with the word “Safety Curtain” written on it in black. Normal practice was then to project slides, via a slide lantern located in the box, advertising forth coming shows, the availability of refreshments and occasionally local traders. Dyers book shop nearly always had an advertisement shown. Some of the slides were professionally made and others were clearly home made. These homemade slides followed the local projectionists' tradition of coating a piece of glass with white shoe cream, letting it dry, and then scratching the message on the glass with a nail.

The gallery was better known to all and sundry as “The Gods”. It had a separate entrance from the other auditorium areas which was obviously intended to prevent the local cheapskates from mixing with the quality.I can recall experiencing Shirley Bassey’s first return to Cardiff from the New Theatre Gods some time around 1958.It was a bit like sitting in a sardine tin for humans.

I did briefly once visit the box as a guest, pre 1960, whilst working as a Warner Pathe employee. If my memory serves me right (?) the projectors were old black BTH machines of pre Supa vintage. I was not much into projectors at that time but can confirm that I never saw similar machines anywhere else during my cinema career.

Thanks Ian.
As I recall the screen wasn’t all that large because of the proscenium being “stage” size. Projection was from very high up, over what was then the “gallery” (hard seats with no backs) so possibly suffered from “keystoning”, and the sound was probably from a horn box wheeled onto the stage behind the screen.
Sherman Theatre and St. David’s Hall the other two “occasional” cinemas in the 70’s and 80’s could be added to more or less complete the coverage of the Cardiff area if you have any memorabilia.

There was a film season during the summer in the late 70’s, I’ll have to look up exact year. I remember seeing “The Sunshine Boys”, “Summer of 42” , “The Way we Were” and “Blazing Saddles” at the New.
The theatre’s web site is compiling a list of everything ever staged or screened.
In the early 1930’s the programme contained some “live” acts advertised as “Kit Cat Cabaret”. Details can be found in the local library newspaper archive.
Some details of the adaptation for projection equipment are available in the Record Office.

It is, I believe, some years since films have been shown at the New Theatre. Others may know whether any equipment survives but I suspect that Xenon lanterns and Dolby Sound were never installed.

Both these photos were taken after its last rebuild back in the late 1980s. A gorgeous theatre, inside and out.